5 Things Getting Me Through My Twin Pregnancy

Now that I'm carrying approximately 12 pounds of baby into the dog days of summer, it requires some finesse to keep everything together—both physically and mentally. Here are some of the essential things getting me through my twin pregnancy right now:

Caftans. I'm so in love with my colorful printed caftans and maxi dresses from Rachel Pally and T Bags Los Angeles that I never want to give them up. The good news is that many of these pieces are not even officially designated as maternity wardrobe, but they work perfectly because of strategic pleating and seemingly impossible stretch capacity—yes, even, miraculously, with this formidable twin bump. Friends have said I'll want to burn my maternity wardrobe by the time this is over, and while that may be true for my tired jersey staples—no way for the fun prints and patterns. (That's my T Bags maxi and my hubby in the photo—what would I do without either of them?!)

Keeping busy. Yes, loved ones often look at me with a mix of panic and incredulity when they see how much I'm still trying to do with a belly roughly the size of Manhattan island. And yes, I occasionally take on too much, and regret it. But I have found that staying busy—mentally stimulated, if not physically running around—right up through the end of this twin pregnancy has helped me keep my anxiety somewhat in check. (Unlike Jessica Alba, I have many pregnancy fears!) It's one reason I got started as your new Everything Pregnancy blogger at 32 weeks along! Thanks for keeping me company on this journey.

Motorized carts. I'd have laughed if you would have told me I'd resort to riding in one of those motorized carts at big box stores, but right around 32 weeks, I found I had no other choice. No, it's not very dignified: At Target last week, my first cart stranded me with a dead battery, and my second got me hopelessly stuck in the cat food aisle, where an unfortunately placed pillar required me to attempt an ungraceful reverse maneuver while the cart beep-beeped my shame. But hey, I got what I needed!

Buoyancy. Being heavily pregnant with twins in the summertime can mean a special combination of sweat (pardon me: glow), swelling, and achiness that really needs the antidote known as getting in the darn pool. Stat. This was literally my doctor's orders. For the Independence Day holiday weekend, we may have been stuck in town unable to fly or drive very far at this late stage—but fortunately our town is glorious Los Angeles, and our solution was a babymoon staycation at the Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, where the pool felt like absolute heaven. (Getting out of it on the other hand...)

Friends and family. Need I say more? I thank my lucky stars every day in particular for my husband, parents, sister, close friends, and in-laws—all the loved ones who have my back not just through pregnancy, but through every phase of life. There's no blessing bigger—and nothing more sacred to me—than the love and support of my endlessly loving, loyal, capable (and not to mention fun!) crew.